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A suburban stretch of northwest London felt the full force of worsening weather yesterday when a tornado ripped roofs from houses, left hundreds of people homeless and forced an emergency evacuation of the area.
About 100 homes in ten roads were damaged when the tornado tore through Kensal Rise yesterday morning. Six people were injured, with one man taken to hospital.
Describing the latest episode of extreme weather in recent months, residents said that the sky turned black and a lightning strike and massive thunder clap occurred just before the tornado struck.
Homeowners barely had time to lock their windows and shut doors before cars were blown across the street, tiles smashed windows and garage roofs peeled off like “lids on tins of baked beans”. One shopkeeper described the tornado as “like the Wizard of Oz”.
Eleven fire engines and about 50 firefighters were sent to the scene shortly before 11am, while rain and wind were battering large areas of the rest of the country.
More than 60 flights were cancelled in and out of Heathrow, and rail and ferry services were also badly disrupted.
At Headley, Hampshire, three motorists had to abandon their cars, which were swept into a river during torrential rain. In Southampton, a block of council flats had its roof blown off by gale-force winds and people in York were forced to scatter sandbags after the swollen River Ouse burst its banks.
Last night in Kensal Rise several roads were still cordoned off as neighbours waited for news on the safety of buildings. It was feared that some may have to be knocked down.
Many residents spent the day taking shelter in local church halls.
Sally Johnson, an estate agent, said: “I’m just so shaken up. I thought the whole office was going to be lifted off the ground and we were going to die.
“There was glass absolutely everywhere. I think everyone round here is in shock. You can hardly walk for all the debris everywhere. It’s just like something out of a movie.”
Caroline Winterburn said: “It was absolutely terrifying. One minute it was suburban North London and the next it was like something out of a disaster film.
“Stuff was being hurled everywhere. Tiles and flowerpots and bricks and things were flying through the air and hitting the kitchen window. All the fences down the road were going down like a pack of cards.
“A friend in Whitmore Gardens has lost half her roof and panes of glass in the windows, and the car’s a write-off as well. There are lots of people with tiles missing.
“A house on the corner of Chamberlayne Road and Whitmore Gardens has lost its side. All of the brickwork has gone, so you can see into the house down the side and into the living room and a bedroom.
“There was so much damage in such a short space of time. Northwest London is not the place where you expect this to happen.”
Piyel Haldar, 40, was at home in Dundonald Road when the tornado struck.
“It sounded like a very loud thunderstorm,” he said. “All of a sudden I saw water spiralling out from the gutters along the rows of houses in front of me. Rows upon rows of cylindrical waves of water were being sucked sideways from the gutters. They looked like the sort of thing you would see someone surfing through.
“There was a complete haze of darkness through which I could see tiles being ripped off the top of houses and trees being pulled from their roots.
“I remember thinking to myself that it was almost apocalyptic. It lasted about 20 seconds and I was frozen to my feet. I was shocked by what was happening and too frightened to move.” A spokesman for MeteoGroup, the weather forecaster, said that a band of strong storms came through the capital, with Heathrow recording gusts of 55mph (90kph). He said that residential areas may have experienced gusts of up to 60mph.
Last night a spokeswoman for Central Middlesex Hospital, where the injured man was taken, confirmed that he had been treated for minor injuries and been discharged. The five other injured people were treated at the scene.
The Association of British Insurers said that it was too early to estimate the cost of the damage.
A spokesman said that damage that was caused to homes and businesses would be covered by buildings insurance.
Dave Bonner, of the London Fire Brigade, said: “We are setting up temporary shelters for people we have had to evacuate.
“It does mean that some people will be spending a difficult night in a church hall or school, but we would hope that they will be able to find friends or family to stay with.”
The weather is expected to be more settled today, with patchy rain in southeast England.
However, rain and gales are expected to sweep across many areas on Sunday.
